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The overall mission statement of this blog is to share many unique topics of this blogger's interest. Topics include (but are not limited to):Southern Cultural Heritage,Local History of the South Carolina Upstate,Confederate Heritage Preservation & Awareness,Americana,Nature & Wildlife Preservation,Science & Science Fiction,Astronomy & Night Sky Photography,Literacy & Writing,Travel & Local Places Of Interest, Southern Cuisine, Popular Culture & Philosophy, Classic Animation Nostalgia,Fandom....as well as various other topics explained from the blogger's point of view. The following website contains theUNCENSOREDthoughts and opinions of a Southern-born country writer from upstate South Carolina - the living, beating heart of the great American Southland!

Monday, October 26, 2015

One of the things that I look forward to every year is attending the South Carolina State Fair in Columbia.

The state fairgrounds are located at 1200 Rosewood Drive in downtown Columbia, South Carolina near Williams Brice Stadium and have been a yearly tradition at that location since 1904.

The
South Carolina State Fair brings 12 days of entertainment, fair rides,
food, interesting exhibits, animals, garden and craft shows, and much
more. The fair is South Carolina's largest recurring event, attracting
nearly 500,000 people annually.

State Fairground's Historic Marker.

The modern state fair got its start in
November 1839, when the State Agricultural Society of South Carolina was
organized in Columbia. Sixteen years later, reorganized as the State Agricultural And
Mechanical Society of South Carolina, the fair received a $5,000
appropriation from the legislature and erected buildings at its first
site on Elmwood Street.

In 1861, Confederate authorities occupied the fair’s buildings,
using them as a place to make war munitions. In 1865, Sherman's army
burned the buildings.

In April 1869, the Society was resurrected. The City of Columbia
partially reconstructed the buildings, and private funds were raised to
create a statewide fair. At that time, the legislature appropriated
$2,500 annually to assist the Society.

In 1904, the Society moved the fair to its present location on Rosewood
Drive because the fair outgrew its old location.

In 1912, the Society bought the Hippodrome Building, which had been
used for the 1908 National Republican Convention, and moved the building
from Norfolk, Virginia, to Columbia. The National Corn Show was held
in the Hippodrome Building on the South Carolina State Fair grounds
later that year. That building was destroyed by fire in 1966 and was
replaced by the modern Hampton and Ruff Buildings.

In 1969, the South Carolina State Fair acquired a Jupiter intermediate range ballistic missile -- named Columbia --
designed by NASA's rocket team and built by Chrysler. The Rocket had
been a gift to the City of Columbia from the U.S. Air Force in the
early 1960s. It’s become a popular landmark on the fairgrounds and a
meeting spot for fair-goers -- as well as people looking for missing loved ones in the crowded fairgrounds.

Today, the State Agricultural and Mechanical Society of South
Carolina has full responsibility for operation of the fair and its
grounds, year-round. Though it is called the “State Fair,” it is not
state-owned nor is the fair funded by any appropriations from the State
of South Carolina. It operates as a private non-profit organization
with a mission of funding education and has provided more than $3
million in scholarships since 1997.

The following are photos of my trip to the 2015 South Carolina State Fairgrounds on Saturday, October 24th with my youngest brother Alex.

Every year the SC State Fair has an incredibly detailed sand sculpture with a different theme.

The Jupiter Rocket Columbia - One of the SC State Fairground's most famous attractions.

The theme for this year's SC State Fair is one of my all-time favorite subjects: Dinosaurs! There was an outstanding child-friendly exhibit set up featuring models of various species of the prehistoric creatures.

My brother Alex posing with a new friend.

LOL I could not resist! I always wanted to ride a Triceratops.

Front view of a Dinosaur themed sand sculpture on display with the other fair exhibits.

Author of several short science-fiction/fantasy stories and celebrated fanfiction author for various cartoon series and science fiction series, Mr. Roden has written over 40 stories under various pseudonyms; best noted for writing the award-winning Hey Arnold! fanfiction story:Arnold's Couch Confessionsin 2003.

Mr. Roden is currently working on his first full-length science fiction-fantasy novel, as well as several other writing projects.

He is a resident of Chester County, South Carolina, USA. (Profile written by: N. McRae - with love.)

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